You may not recognize Peter Calandra‘s name but I bet you would recognize his music.

Peter has scored 40 films, written over 2000 compositions for tv broadcasts (including 37 themes), and he has performed in Broadway productions such as Les Misesrables, Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera, The Lion King, and Little Shop of Horrors.

He has also released 3 albums of instrumental music in the genres of jazz, contemporary jazz, classical, and refined pop.

Life wasn’t always so classy for Peter. Like many musicians, Mr. Calandra started out his grind in the dingy bars playing blues, jazz, reggae, funk, and Top 40. When he was hired to work on the original off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors, his life changed.

 “I remember going down to the theater the first time to look at the songbook and I was just blown away. I thought ‘this is the ticket to my future,’” he says. “Eighty percent of my career success comes from getting that show.”

On his newest solo release, Ashokan Memories, Peter shares with us his aural interpretation of his time in the Catskills.

“There is something spiritual about this part of New York that goes beyond what is visible to the eye. If you spend some time there and pay attention, you feel it,” Calandra says in the album’s liner notes.

Packed full of 18 compositions, Ashokan Memories easily qualifies as meditation music. Peter’s deep understanding of music and his ability to use compositions to evoke moods and atmospheres in the listener guarantee the quality of this album is top notch.

If you are having a rough day, feel overwhelmed, or just need to let some stress go – I highly recommend Ashokan Memories for peaceful listening.

“I’ve always heard music in my head—there is like a radio in there playing new music all the time,” says Calandra.

Go grab your copy then connect with Mr. Calandra on Facebook or Twitter.